CN118311304A

CN118311304A - Bearing mechanism of warp wafer and probe station

Info

Publication number: CN118311304A
Application number: CN202410732657.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周凯旋
Original assignee: Shenzhen Senmei Xieer Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Senmei Xieer Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2024-06-07
Filing date: 2024-06-07
Publication date: 2024-07-09
Anticipated expiration: 2044-06-07
Also published as: CN118311304B

Abstract

The application provides a bearing mechanism for a warped wafer and a probe station. The bearing mechanism comprises: the chuck is provided with a through hole and a plurality of accommodating grooves; the first sucker assembly comprises a plurality of first suckers, and the first suckers are at least partially accommodated in the accommodating grooves; the second sucker assembly comprises a push rod and a second sucker, the push rod penetrates through the through hole, the push rod extends along the preset direction, the connecting end is used for being connected with the second sucker, the push rod can drive the second sucker to move along the preset direction, and the second sucker assembly is provided with a first state that the connecting end protrudes out of the bearing surface and a second state that the connecting end is accommodated in the through hole; when the second sucker assembly is in the first state, the second sucker assembly can adsorb the wafer; when the second sucker assembly is in the second state, the first sucker assembly and the second sucker assembly jointly adsorb the wafer, so that the bearing mechanism can effectively adsorb the warped wafer.

Description

Bearing mechanism of warp wafer and probe station

Technical Field

The present application relates to wafer inspection, and more particularly, to a carrier mechanism and a probe station for a warped wafer.

Background

The probe station is an important device in semiconductor testing and is capable of performing electrical performance testing and microstructure inspection of integrated circuit devices on a wafer. When performing the testing operation of the wafer, the wafer needs to be firmly fixed on the bearing mechanism of the probe station to ensure the accuracy and precision of the test.

However, with the continuous development of semiconductor technology, wafers tend to be more and more ultra-thin. Moreover, the ultrathin wafer can easily generate buckling deformation, and the traditional bearing mechanism can not effectively adsorb and fix the buckling deformation ultrathin wafer, so that the wafer is easy to displace or fall off in the test process, thereby affecting the accuracy of the test result of the probe station and possibly even damaging the wafer.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present application provides a carrier mechanism and a probe station for warpage wafers, so that ultra-thin wafers can be effectively adsorbed.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a carrier for a warped wafer, the carrier comprising:

the chuck is provided with a bearing surface and a back surface which is opposite to the bearing surface, the bearing surface is used for bearing a wafer, the chuck is also provided with a through hole and a plurality of containing grooves, the through hole penetrates through the bearing surface and the back surface, and the containing grooves are arranged on the bearing surface;

the first sucker assembly comprises a plurality of first suckers, and the first suckers are at least partially accommodated in the accommodating grooves; and

The second sucker assembly comprises a push rod and a second sucker, the push rod penetrates through the through hole, the push rod extends along the preset direction, the push rod is provided with a connecting end, the connecting end is used for connecting the second sucker, the push rod can drive the second sucker to reciprocate along the preset direction, and the second sucker assembly is provided with a first state that the connecting end protrudes out of the bearing surface and a second state that the connecting end is accommodated in the through hole;

when the second sucker assembly is in the first state, the second sucker assembly can adsorb a wafer; when the second sucker assembly is in the second state, the first sucker assembly and the second sucker assembly jointly adsorb the wafer.

When the bearing mechanism is used for bearing a wafer to be detected, the connecting end of the ejector rod and the second sucker are exposed on the bearing surface, the second sucker can adsorb the wafer, the ejector rod can drive the second sucker and the wafer to move along the preset direction, the second sucker and the wafer are enabled to move to a position adjacent to the bearing surface, and the first sucker and the second sucker adsorb the wafer together and can adsorb the wafer to the bearing surface.

The first sucking disc comprises a plurality of first sucking disc parts which are sequentially arranged along a preset direction, the first sucking disc parts are bent and connected with each other, the first sucking disc parts are made of flexible materials, and the first sucking disc can shrink along the preset direction after adsorbing a wafer; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

The second sucking disc includes a plurality of second sucking disc portions of arranging in proper order along predetermineeing the direction, a plurality of second sucking disc portions are for buckling each other and link to each other, second sucking disc portion is flexible material, just the second sucking disc can follow after adsorbing the wafer predetermineeing the direction shrink.

When the first sucker does not adsorb the wafer, the first sucker protrudes from the bearing surface of the chuck, and a distance D is formed between one side, away from the bearing surface, of the first sucker and the bearing surface, and the distance D meets the following conditions: d is more than or equal to 0.2mm and less than or equal to 0.9mm.

The chuck is internally provided with a first air channel, a second air channel and a third air channel which are mutually independent, wherein the first air channel, the second air channel and the third air channel are all used for circulating negative pressure air, the chuck is further provided with a first vacuum groove, a second vacuum groove and a third vacuum groove, the first vacuum groove, the second vacuum groove and the third vacuum groove are exposed to the bearing surface, the first vacuum groove is communicated with the first air channel, the second vacuum groove is communicated with the second air channel, the second vacuum groove is surrounded on the periphery of the first vacuum groove, the third vacuum groove is communicated with the third air channel, the third vacuum groove is surrounded on the periphery of the second vacuum groove, and the first vacuum groove, the second vacuum groove and the third vacuum groove are all used for adsorbing wafers.

The chuck is provided with a first adsorption area, a second adsorption area and a third adsorption area, the first vacuum groove is formed in the first adsorption area, the second sucker assembly is arranged in the first adsorption area, the second vacuum groove is formed in the second adsorption area, the first suckers are partially arranged in the second adsorption area, and the other first suckers are partially arranged in the third adsorption area.

The ejector rod is provided with a pipeline which is communicated with the second sucker, and the pipeline can circulate negative pressure gas to the second sucker.

The bearing mechanism further comprises a moving assembly, the moving assembly comprises a transmission part, an air cylinder and a jacking part, the transmission part comprises a motor, a transmission rod and a moving part, the motor is used for driving the transmission rod to rotate, the transmission rod extends along a preset direction, the transmission rod can drive the moving part to reciprocate along the preset direction, the air cylinder is fixed on the moving part, the moving part can drive the air cylinder to reciprocate along the preset direction, the air cylinder can be abutted to the jacking part and can drive the jacking part to reciprocate along the preset direction, and the jacking part is fixed on the jacking rod and can drive the jacking rod to reciprocate along the preset direction.

The lifting part comprises a moving plate and a lifting plate, the lifting plate is fixed on one side of the ejector rod, which is away from the sucker, the bearing mechanism further comprises a lifting assembly and a fixing plate, the lifting assembly is arranged on one side of the chuck, which is away from the bearing surface, and can drive the chuck to reciprocate along a preset direction, one end of the fixing plate is fixed on the lifting assembly, and the moving plate is slidably connected with the other end of the fixing plate and can move along the preset direction relative to the fixing plate.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a probe station, where the probe station includes a mechanical arm and the carrying mechanism, where the mechanical arm is configured to transport a wafer to be inspected to the carrying mechanism, and is capable of removing the inspected wafer from the carrying mechanism. The bearing mechanism comprises a chuck, a first sucker assembly and a second sucker assembly, and the second sucker assembly is provided with a first state that the connecting end protrudes out of the bearing surface and a second state that the connecting end is accommodated in the through hole. When the second sucker assembly is in a first state, the second sucker assembly can adsorb the wafer, and when the second sucker assembly is in a second state, the first sucker assembly and the second sucker assembly adsorb the wafer together. When the second sucker assembly is switched from the first state to the second state, the ejector rod moves along the preset direction, and the second sucker can flatten the warped wafer, so that the warped ultrathin wafer can be effectively adsorbed to the bearing surface of the chuck, the wafer can be effectively contacted with the probes in the probe station, and the detection accuracy of the probe station to the wafer is effectively improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings which are used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described, it being obvious that the drawings in the description below are only some embodiments of the invention, and that other drawings can be obtained from them without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a bearing mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a part of a bearing mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a carrying mechanism in a first state according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a carrying mechanism in a second state according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a carrying mechanism in a first state according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a partial enlarged structure of the carrying mechanism provided in FIG. 5 at b;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the structure of a first suction cup according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a partial enlarged structure of the carrying mechanism provided in FIG. 2 at a;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a partial enlarged structure of the carrying mechanism provided in FIG. 5 at c;

FIG. 10 is a schematic top view of a carrying mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 11 is a schematic view of a part of a bearing mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the first chuck assembly according to an embodiment of the application;

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a carrying mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 14 is a schematic structural view of a carrying mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the structure of a transmission member according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective exploded view of a driving member according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 17 is a schematic view of a part of the structure of a carrying mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the bearing mechanism according to the embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 19 is a schematic structural view of a probe station according to an embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals illustrate:

The probe comprises a 1-probe platform, a 10-bearing mechanism, a 20-mechanical arm, a 11-chuck, a 12-first chuck assembly, a 13-second chuck assembly, a 14-moving assembly, a 15-lifting assembly, a 16-fixed plate, a 111-bearing surface, a 112-back surface, a 113-through hole, a 114-containing groove, a 115-first vacuum groove, a 116-second vacuum groove, a 117-third vacuum groove, a 121-first chuck, a 131-ejector pin, a 132-second chuck, a 141-transmission member, a 142-cylinder, a 143-lifting member, a 1151-first adsorption region, a 1161-second adsorption region, a 1171-third adsorption region, a 1211-first chuck part, a 1311-connecting end, a 1312-pipeline, a 1321-second chuck part, a 1411-motor, a 1412-transmission rod, a 1413-moving member, a 1431-moving plate and a 1432-lifting plate.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is evident that the embodiments described are only some, but not all embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention.

The terms first, second and the like in the description and in the claims and in the above-described figures are used for distinguishing between different objects and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. Furthermore, the terms "comprise" and "have," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those listed steps or elements but may include other steps or elements not listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Reference herein to "an embodiment" or "implementation" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or implementation may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those of skill in the art will explicitly and implicitly appreciate that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

Before the technical scheme of the application is described, the technical problems in the related art are described in detail.

Specifically, the conventional carrying mechanism generally utilizes vacuum grooves to adsorb wafers, when the wafer warpage is severe, there are partial vacuum grooves on the chuck surface which cannot be contacted and effectively adsorb the wafers, and the vacuum grooves on the chuck surface generally circulate with each other, and failure of the partial vacuum grooves can cause failure of the vacuum grooves of the whole chuck, so that the wafers cannot be effectively adsorbed and fixed by the chuck.

In view of this, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present application provides a carrier mechanism 10 for warpage wafers. Please refer to fig. 1,2,3 and 4. The carrying mechanism 10 of the present embodiment includes a chuck 11, a first chuck assembly 12, and a second chuck assembly 13. The chuck 11 has a carrying surface 111 and a back surface 112 opposite to the carrying surface 111, the carrying surface 111 is used for carrying a wafer, the chuck 11 further has a through hole 113 and a plurality of accommodating grooves 114, the through hole 113 penetrates through the carrying surface 111 and the back surface 112, and the accommodating grooves 114 are arranged on the carrying surface 111. The first chuck assembly 12 includes a plurality of first chucks 121, and the first chucks 121 are at least partially received in the receiving slots 114. The second suction cup assembly 13 includes a push rod 131 and a second suction cup 132, the push rod 131 is disposed through the through hole 113, the push rod 131 extends along a preset direction Z, the push rod 131 has a connection end 1311, the connection end 1311 is used for connecting the second suction cup 132, the push rod 131 can drive the second suction cup 132 to reciprocate along the preset direction Z, and the second suction cup assembly 13 has a first state in which the connection end 1311 protrudes from the bearing surface 111 and a second state in which the connection end 1311 is accommodated in the through hole 113. When the second chuck assembly 13 is in the first state, the second chuck assembly 13 may attract a wafer. When the second chuck assembly 13 is in the second state, the first chuck assembly 12 and the second chuck assembly 13 are jointly sucking the wafer.

Optionally, the carrying mechanism 10 is applied in the probe station 1. The carrying mechanism 10 includes a chuck 11, a first chuck assembly 12 and a second chuck assembly 13, and the chuck 11 has a carrying surface 111 and a back surface 112 disposed opposite to each other, where the carrying surface 111 is used for carrying a wafer for inspection.

Optionally, the chuck 11 is provided with a through hole 113 and a receiving groove 114, the through hole 113 is used for receiving the second chuck assembly 13, and the receiving groove 114 is used for receiving the first chuck assembly 12.

Optionally, the through hole 113 penetrates through the carrying surface 111 and the back surface 112, and the shape of the through hole 113 may be, but is not limited to, circular, square, or other shapes, which are not limited in the present application.

The number of the through holes 113 may be, but not limited to, one, two, three, four, or other more, etc., and it should be understood that the number of the through holes 113 should not be limited to the carrying mechanism 10 provided in this embodiment.

The chuck 11 is provided with a receiving groove 114 on the carrying surface 111, and the receiving groove 114 is used for receiving the first chuck 121. The number of the receiving grooves 114 may be, but not limited to, two, or three, or four, or five, or other more, etc., and the number of the receiving grooves 114 may be, but not limited to, the same as the number of the first suction cups 121.

Optionally, the first chuck 121 is configured to adsorb a wafer, and the first chuck 121 is partially or completely accommodated in the accommodating groove 114. In the schematic view of the present embodiment, the first chuck 121 is partially accommodated in the accommodating groove 114, and the other part of the first chuck 121 is exposed and protrudes from the carrying surface 111 of the chuck 11, so that the first chuck 121 can effectively contact and adsorb the wafer when the wafer is warped.

Alternatively, the first chuck 121 is a vacuum chuck, and is capable of sucking a wafer by vacuum.

The number of the first suction cups 121 may be, but is not limited to, two, three, four, five, or more, etc., and it should be understood that the number of the first suction cups 121 should not be limited to the carrying mechanism 10 provided in this embodiment.

Optionally, the second chuck assembly 13 includes a mandrel 131 and a second chuck 132 that are connected. The ejector rod 131 is inserted through the through hole 113 of the chuck 11 and can reciprocate along a preset direction Z. The chuck 11 may have a gap between the sidewall of the through hole 113 and the stem 131, but is not limited to, so that friction force generated on the stem 131 by the sidewall of the chuck 11 is reduced to facilitate movement of the stem 131.

Optionally, the second chuck 132 is a vacuum chuck and is capable of holding a wafer by vacuum.

Optionally, the ejector rod 131 extends along a preset direction Z, and the ejector rod 131 has a connection end 1311. The connecting end 1311 is an end of the ejector rod 131 facing away from the back surface 112 of the chuck 11, and the connecting end 1311 is used for connecting the second chuck 132.

Further, the ejector rod 131 can drive the second suction cup 132 to reciprocate along the preset direction Z. Preferably, the preset direction Z is an arrangement direction of the carrying surface 111 and the back surface 112, and the second direction is perpendicular to the carrying surface 111. It should be appreciated that, in other embodiments of the present application, the preset direction Z may not be perpendicular to the bearing surface 111, as long as the ejector rod 131 can drive the second suction cup 132 to move toward a direction approaching or departing from the bearing surface 111.

It will be appreciated that when the wafer is an ultra-thin wafer, since the ultra-thin wafer is easily warped, the conventional chuck 11 may not efficiently adsorb the warped ultra-thin wafer through the vacuum groove. In this embodiment, the second chuck assembly 13 of the carrying mechanism 10 has a first state and a second state, when the second chuck assembly 13 is in the first state, along the direction that the back surface 112 points to the carrying surface 111, the connection end 1311 of the ejector rod 131 is exposed and protrudes from the carrying surface 111 of the chuck 11, and the second chuck 132 connected to the ejector rod 131 is also exposed and protrudes from the carrying surface 111 of the chuck 11. When the second chuck assembly 13 is in the second state, the connection end 1311 of the ejector rod 131 is received in the through hole 113 of the chuck 11 and is no longer exposed on the bearing surface 111 of the chuck 11.

Optionally, when the second chuck assembly 13 is in the second state, the second chuck 132 is also at least partially received in the through hole 113.

In a specific embodiment of the present application, when the carrying mechanism 10 needs to carry a wafer to be inspected, the ejector rod 131 extends out of the carrying surface 111 of the chuck 11, the connection end 1311 of the ejector rod 131 and the second chuck 132 are exposed on the carrying surface 111, that is, the second chuck assembly 13 is in the first state, and the second chuck 132 can adsorb the wafer. After the second chuck 132 adsorbs the wafer, the ejector rod 131 moves along the direction of the bearing surface 111 pointing to the back surface 112, and drives the second chuck 132 and the wafer to move synchronously, that is, the second chuck 132 adsorbs the wafer and pulls the wafer to move toward the direction close to the bearing surface 111. Further, when the connection end 1311 of the stem 131 moves to be received in the through hole 113, the wafer also moves to a position adjacent to the carrying surface 111, and at this time, the first chuck assembly 12 located on the carrying surface 111 of the chuck 11 and the second chuck assembly 13 can jointly adsorb the wafer, so that the chuck 11 can effectively adsorb the wafer.

It can be appreciated that, in this embodiment, when the wafer is a warped ultra-thin wafer, the second chuck assembly 13 adsorbs the wafer and pulls the wafer to move, so that the wafer can be adsorbed and pulled to a position adjacent to the carrying surface 111, and under the combined action of the first chuck assembly 12 and the second chuck assembly 13, the wafer can be flattened and attached to the carrying surface 111, so that the situation that the wafer cannot be effectively adsorbed and carried by the chuck 11 when the wafer is an ultra-thin wafer is avoided.

In summary, the carrying mechanism 10 provided in the present embodiment includes the chuck 11, the first chuck assembly 12 and the second chuck assembly 13, and the second chuck assembly 13 has a first state in which the connection end 1311 protrudes from the carrying surface 111 and a second state in which the connection end 1311 is received in the through hole 113. The second chuck assembly 13 may attract the wafer when the second chuck assembly 13 is in the first state, and the first chuck assembly 12 and the second chuck assembly 13 may attract the wafer together when the second chuck assembly 13 is in the second state. When the second chuck assembly 13 is switched from the first state to the second state, the ejector rod 131 moves along the preset direction Z, and the second chuck 132 can flatten the warped wafer, so as to ensure that the warped ultrathin wafer can be effectively adsorbed to the bearing surface 111 of the chuck 11, thereby ensuring that the wafer can be effectively contacted with the probes in the probe station 1, and effectively improving the detection accuracy of the probe station 1 on the wafer.

Optionally, the chuck 11 may further be provided with a vacuum groove on the carrying surface 111 to assist in wafer suction. And the second sucking disc subassembly 13 with the setting of first sucking disc subassembly 12 can adsorb and draw the wafer of warp to the guarantee the vacuum tank can adsorb the wafer effectively, avoids appearing leading to the vacuum tank inefficacy condition because of vacuum tank and wafer laminating are not firm or unable laminating.

Alternatively, in other embodiments of the present application, when the wafer is smaller, the second chuck assembly 13 may also be operated alone, i.e., the first chuck assembly 12 may not be opened, and the second chuck assembly 13 may be opened alone to receive and adsorb the wafer of smaller size.

Please refer to fig. 1,2,3 and 4 again. When the carrying mechanism 10 is used for carrying a wafer to be inspected, the connection end 1311 of the ejector rod 131 and the second chuck 132 are exposed on the carrying surface 111, the second chuck 132 can adsorb the wafer, the ejector rod 131 can drive the second chuck 132 and the wafer to move along the preset direction Z, and the second chuck 132 and the wafer move to a position adjacent to the carrying surface 111, and the first chuck 121 and the second chuck 132 can adsorb the wafer together and adsorb the wafer to the carrying surface 111.

Alternatively, in a specific embodiment of the present application, the robot arm 20 transports the wafer to be inspected to the position of the carrying mechanism 10 during the operation of the probe station 1. The carrying mechanism 10 extends out of the ejector rod 131 and the second chuck 132, the connection end 1311 of the ejector rod 131 and the second chuck 132 are exposed on the carrying surface 111, and the second chuck 132 is opened in a vacuum adsorption state and receives a wafer. The ejector rod 131 descends along the preset direction Z, and drives the second chuck 132 and the wafer to descend synchronously, so that the wafer can move to a position adjacent to the carrying surface 111. And in the descending process of the ejector rod 131 and the second sucker 132, the second sucker 132 is kept in an adsorption state on the wafer all the time, so that the warped wafer can be leveled, and the wafer can be attached to the bearing surface 111.

It can be appreciated that in the comparative embodiment in which the wafer is directly received by the lift pins 131 without the second chuck 132, when the wafer is an ultra-thin wafer, the lift pins 131 are directly contacted and receive the wafer, which may cause the wafer to be deformed more seriously due to the gravity of the wafer itself, and there is a risk of damaging the wafer. In this embodiment, the carrying mechanism 10 adsorbs and pulls the wafer to move through the second chuck assembly 13, and in the moving process of the second chuck 132 from being exposed on the carrying surface 111 to being accommodated in the through hole 113, the wafer can be pulled and flattened, so that the wafer can be attached to the carrying surface 111, and further effectively fixed and carried by the chuck 11, so that the wafer can be precisely contacted with the probe in the probe station 1, and the accuracy of the detection result of the wafer is further ensured.

Please refer to fig. 5, 6 and 7. The first suction cup 121 includes a plurality of first suction cup portions 1211 sequentially arranged along a preset direction Z, the plurality of first suction cup portions 1211 are bent and connected to each other, the first suction cup portions 1211 are made of flexible materials, and the first suction cup 121 can shrink along the preset direction Z after the wafer is sucked. And/or, the second sucker 132 includes a plurality of second sucker portions 1321 sequentially arranged along a preset direction Z, the plurality of second sucker portions 1321 are bent and connected with each other, the second sucker portions 1321 are made of flexible materials, and the second sucker 132 can shrink along the preset direction Z after adsorbing the wafer.

Alternatively, the first suction cup 121 is formed of a plurality of first suction cup portions 1211, and the plurality of first suction cup portions 1211 are integrally formed or fixed by bonding, which is not limited in the present application.

Alternatively, the number of the first suction cup portions 1211 may be, but not limited to, two, three, four, or more, and the like, and in the schematic view of the present embodiment, the number of the first suction cup portions 1211 is exemplified by three.

Alternatively, the first suction cup 121 is a corrugated suction cup, and the plurality of first suction cup portions 1211 are bent to be connected to each other and constitute the corrugated first suction cup 121.

Preferably, the first suction cup portion 1211 is made of a flexible material, for example, soft rubber or other flexible material, so that the first suction cup 121 is a flexible suction cup. When the wafer is an ultrathin wafer, the first sucker 121 is a flexible sucker, so that the risk that the wafer is damaged by the first sucker 121 in the adsorption process can be effectively avoided.

Optionally, the second suction cup 132 is formed by a plurality of second suction cup portions 1321, and the plurality of second suction cup portions 1321 are integrally formed or fixed by adhesion, which is not limited in the present application.

Alternatively, the number of the second chuck parts 1321 may be, but not limited to, two, three, four, or more, and the like, and in the schematic diagram of the present embodiment, the number of the second chuck parts 1321 is exemplified by three.

Alternatively, the second suction cup 132 is a corrugated suction cup, and the plurality of second suction cup portions 1321 are bent to be connected to each other and constitute the corrugated second suction cup 132.

Preferably, the second chuck part 1321 is made of a flexible material, for example, soft rubber or other flexible material, so that the second chuck 132 is a flexible chuck.

Preferably, the second chuck 132 is capable of retracting in the preset direction Z after the wafer is suctioned. Specifically, when the second suction cup 132 adsorbs an ultra-thin wafer, because the second suction cup 132 is made of a soft material, when the inside of the second suction cup 132 forms a vacuum state, the second suction cup 132 retracts under the action of vacuum suction, that is, the corrugated second suction cup portions 1321 are folded, so that the height of the second suction cup 132 along the preset direction Z is reduced, thereby effectively avoiding the risk that the wafer is damaged due to the large adsorption force of the second suction cup 132. And when the second chuck assembly 13 is in the second state, the second chuck 132 can shrink into the through hole 113, and is no longer exposed on the carrying surface 111, and in the shrinking process, the ultrathin wafer is adsorbed to a state of being attached to the carrying surface 111, so that the ultrathin wafer can be kept flat and well attached to the carrying surface 111.

Preferably, the first chuck 121 is also capable of shrinking in the preset direction Z after the wafer is suctioned. Specifically, in an alternative embodiment of the present application, when the first chuck 121 does not adsorb a wafer, the first chuck 121 is at least partially protruding from the carrying surface 111, that is, the first chuck 121 protrudes from at least one side of the carrying surface 111 facing away from the back surface 112. When the first suction cup 121 adsorbs an ultrathin wafer and the ultrathin wafer protrudes from the carrying surface 111 due to warp deformation, the first suction cup 121 can contact the protruding ultrathin wafer and is adsorbed to the ultrathin wafer, and a vacuum state can be formed inside the first suction cup 121, and since the first suction cup 121 is made of soft material, when the inside of the first suction cup 121 forms a vacuum state, the first suction cup 121 retracts under the action of vacuum force, that is, the corrugated first suction cup portions 1211 are folded, so that the height of the first suction cup 121 along the preset direction Z is reduced, and the first suction cup 121 can be retracted into the accommodating groove 114 and is not exposed to the carrying surface 111. The first sucking disc 121 can further complete the adsorption of the protruding portion of the ultra-thin wafer, and in the retraction process, the protruding portion of the ultra-thin wafer is adsorbed and driven to be attached to the carrying surface 111, so that the ultra-thin wafer can be kept flat, and the chuck 11 can achieve a good fixing effect on the ultra-thin wafer.

Please refer to fig. 8 and 9. When the wafer is not adsorbed by the first chuck 121, the first chuck 121 protrudes from the carrying surface 111 of the chuck 11, and a distance D is provided between one side of the first chuck 121 away from the carrying surface 111 and the carrying surface 111, where the distance D satisfies: d is more than or equal to 0.2mm and less than or equal to 0.9mm.

Alternatively, the distance D may be understood as a maximum height of a portion of the first suction cup 121 protruding from the carrying surface 111 in the preset direction Z when the first suction cup 121 is not sucking the wafer. It is also understood that, in the preset direction Z, a side of the first suction cup 121 facing away from the bearing surface 111 is at a vertical distance from the bearing surface 111.

Wherein the value of the distance D may be, but is not limited to, 0.2mm, or 0.3mm, or 0.4mm, or 0.5mm, or 0.6mm, or 0.7mm, or 0.8mm, or 0.9mm, or more, etc., as long as 0.2 mm.ltoreq.D.ltoreq.0.9 mm is satisfied.

It will be appreciated that when the distance D is too small, that is, the distance that the first chuck 121 protrudes from the chuck 11 is small, and when the wafer warpage is severe, the first chuck 121 may not contact the wafer of the warpage portion, so that the wafer may not be efficiently sucked. When the distance D is too large, the first chuck 121 may require a relatively large vacuum force to shrink into the accommodating groove 114, which may damage the ultra-thin wafer due to the too large vacuum force, and may not shrink into the accommodating groove 114 completely, resulting in a wafer in a flat state, and affecting the wafer inspection effect.

In this embodiment, the distance D satisfies: d is more than or equal to 0.2mm and less than or equal to 0.9mm, so that the first sucking disc 121 can effectively contact the wafer of the warping portion to effectively adsorb the warped wafer. And the first sucking disc 121 can not damage the ultrathin wafer due to overlarge vacuum adsorption force, and can completely shrink into the accommodating groove 114, so that the wafer is ensured to be flatly attached to the bearing surface 111 of the chuck 11, and the wafer can be effectively and accurately detected.

Please refer to fig. 10. The chuck 11 is internally provided with a first air channel, a second air channel and a third air channel which are mutually independent, the first air channel, the second air channel and the third air channel are all used for circulating negative pressure air, the chuck 11 is further provided with a first vacuum groove 115, a second vacuum groove 116 and a third vacuum groove 117, the first vacuum groove 115, the second vacuum groove 116 and the third vacuum groove 117 are exposed to the bearing surface 111, the first vacuum groove 115 is communicated with the first air channel, the second vacuum groove 116 is communicated with the second air channel, the second vacuum groove 116 is circumferentially arranged on the periphery of the first vacuum groove 115, the third vacuum groove 117 is circumferentially arranged on the periphery of the second vacuum groove 116, and the first vacuum groove 115, the second vacuum groove 116 and the third vacuum groove 117 are all used for adsorbing wafers.

Optionally, the first air path, the second air path, and the third air path are all disposed inside the chuck 11 and are used for circulating negative pressure air. Wherein, the first air passage is communicated with the first vacuum tank 115, so that the first vacuum tank 115 can realize a vacuum state. The second air path is communicated with the second vacuum tank 116, so that the second vacuum tank 116 can realize a vacuum state. The third air path is communicated with the third vacuum tank 117, so that the third vacuum tank 117 can realize a vacuum state.

Optionally, the first vacuum groove 115 is exposed to the bearing surface 111. The second vacuum groove 116 is exposed from the bearing surface 111, and the second vacuum groove 116 is disposed around the first vacuum groove 115. The third vacuum groove 117 is exposed from the bearing surface 111, and the third vacuum groove 117 is at least partially disposed around the second vacuum groove 116.

Optionally, the first air path, the second air path and the third air path are mutually independent, that is, the first air path, the second air path and the third air path can be opened in a time-division manner. In other words, the first vacuum tank 115, the second vacuum tank 116 and the third vacuum tank 117 are also independent, and the first vacuum tank 115, the second vacuum tank 116 and the third vacuum tank 117 may be opened in time periods.

Alternatively, the first vacuum tank 115 can be used to hold 8 inch round wafers and square wafers with a specification of 250×250 mm. In other words, when an 8-inch round wafer and a square wafer with a specification of 250×250mm are to be adsorbed, only the first gas path and the first vacuum tank 115 are opened, and the second gas path, the second vacuum tank 116, the third gas path and the third vacuum tank 117 are not opened. The second vacuum tank 116 can be used to hold 12 inch round wafers. In other words, when a 12-inch round wafer is to be adsorbed, only the first gas path, the first vacuum tank 115, the second gas path, and the second vacuum tank 116 are opened, and the third gas path and the third vacuum tank 117 are not opened. The third vacuum tank 117 can be used to adsorb square wafers having a specification of 300×300 mm. In other words, when a square wafer with a specification of 300×300mm is to be adsorbed, the first gas path, the first vacuum tank 115, the second gas path, the second vacuum tank 116, the third gas path, and the third vacuum tank 117 are all opened. In this embodiment, the plurality of groups of vacuum grooves of the chuck 11 are independently disposed, so that the chuck 11 can adaptively adsorb wafers with different sizes, and the applicability and flexibility of the chuck 11 are improved.

Please refer to fig. 10 and 11. The chuck 11 has a first adsorption area 1151, a second adsorption area 1161 and a third adsorption area 1171, the first vacuum tank 115 is disposed in the first adsorption area 1151, the second chuck assembly 13 is disposed in the first adsorption area 1151, the second vacuum tank 116 is disposed in the second adsorption area 1161, the plurality of first chucks 121 are partially disposed in the second adsorption area 1161, and the plurality of first chucks 121 are further partially disposed in the third adsorption area 1171.

Alternatively, the first suction area 1151 can be used to suction 8 inch round wafers and square wafers with a specification of 250×250 mm. The second suction zone 1161 can be used to suction a 12 inch circular wafer. The third suction area 1171 can be used to suction square wafers with a specification of 300×300 mm.

Further alternatively, the second chuck assembly 13 is disposed in the first suction area 1151, and when the wafer has a smaller size, the second chuck assembly 13 sucks the wafer to the first suction area 1151, and then the first vacuum tank 115 sucks the wafer. Some of the first suction cups 121 are disposed in the second suction area 1161, the second suction cup assembly 13 and some of the first suction cups 121 are configured to suction the wafer to a position where the first suction areas 1151 and the second suction areas 1161 are attached, and then the first vacuum tank 115 and the second vacuum tank 116 are configured to suction the wafer. The other part of the first suction cups 121 is disposed in the third suction area 1171, and when the wafer has a larger size, the other part of the first suction cups 121 and the first vacuum grooves 115, the second vacuum grooves 116 and the third vacuum grooves 117 are used for sucking the wafer together, so as to ensure that the wafer can be fixed on the chuck 11 smoothly and stably for testing.

In this embodiment, the multiple groups of vacuum grooves of the chuck 11 are set independently, and the first chuck 121 and the second chuck 132 of the chuck 11 are also set independently corresponding to different adsorption areas, so that the chuck 11 can adaptively adsorb wafers with different sizes, and the applicability and flexibility of the chuck 11 are further improved.

Please refer to fig. 12. The ejector rod 131 has a pipe 1312, the pipe 1312 is connected to the second suction cup 132, and the pipe 1312 can circulate negative pressure gas to the second suction cup 132.

Optionally, the ejector rod 131 is a hollow ejector rod 131, that is, a pipeline 1312 is arranged inside the ejector rod 131. The pipeline 1312 is communicated with the second sucker 132, and can circulate negative pressure gas to the second sucker 132, so that the second sucker 132 can realize a vacuum adsorption state. In this embodiment, the second suction cup 132 may be in a vacuum adsorption state through the pipeline 1312 inside the ejector rod 131, and compared with a mode in which the ejector rod 131 is externally provided with the vacuum pipeline 1312 for the second suction cup 132 alone, the vacuum pipeline 1312 is provided inside the ejector rod 131, which can effectively ensure tightness of the second suction cup 132 during vacuum adsorption, effectively reduce occupied space of the second suction cup assembly 13, and improve space utilization efficiency of the bearing mechanism 10.

Please refer to fig. 13, 14, 15 and 16. The carrying mechanism 10 further comprises a moving assembly 14, the moving assembly 14 comprises a transmission member 141, an air cylinder 142 and a lifting member 143, the transmission member 141 comprises a motor 1411, a transmission rod 1412 and a moving member 1413, the motor 1411 is used for driving the transmission rod 1412 to rotate, the transmission rod 1412 extends along a preset direction Z, the transmission rod 1412 can drive the moving member 1413 to reciprocate along the preset direction Z, the air cylinder 142 is fixed on the moving member 1413, the moving member 1413 can drive the air cylinder 142 to reciprocate along the preset direction Z, the air cylinder 142 can be abutted to the lifting member 143 and can drive the lifting member 143 to reciprocate along the preset direction Z, and the lifting member 143 is fixed on the ejector rod 131 and can drive the ejector rod 131 to reciprocate along the preset direction Z.

The driving member 141 may be, but is not limited to, a needle cleaning platform disposed in the probe station 1, and the needle cleaning platform is disposed adjacent to the carrying mechanism 10. The transmission rod 1412 extends along the preset direction Z, the moving member 1413 is slidably connected to the transmission rod 1412, and the moving member 1413 can reciprocate along the preset direction Z when the motor 1411 drives the transmission rod 1412 to transmit power.

Alternatively, the cylinder 142 is fixed to a side of the mover 1413 adjacent to the chuck 11, and can move in synchronization with the mover 1413.

Alternatively, the extension direction of the cylinder 142 is perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the preset direction Z, and the cylinder 142 can be extended and retracted in a direction perpendicular to the preset direction Z. Further, when the cylinder 142 is in the contracted state, the cylinder 142 does not abut against the jack 143. When the air cylinder 142 is in the extended state, the air cylinder 142 abuts against one side of the jacking member 143 away from the chuck 11, and can push the jacking member 143 to synchronously move along the preset direction Z.

Optionally, the ejector rod 131 is fixedly disposed on a side of the lifting member 143 adjacent to the bearing surface 111, and when the lifting member 143 moves along the preset direction Z, the ejector rod 131 can move synchronously along the preset direction Z.

In this embodiment, the carrier mechanism 10 implements the movement of the ejector rod 131 along the preset direction Z by using the moving assembly 14, compared with the comparative embodiment in which the cylinder 142 is directly connected to the ejector rod 131 and drives the ejector rod 131 to lift, the arrangement of the moving assembly 14 can effectively avoid influencing the position stability of the ejector rod 131 due to strong vibration when the cylinder 142 stretches and contracts, and avoid the risk that the ejector rod 131 cannot stably receive a wafer, even damages the wafer due to shaking, thereby implementing the stable lifting of the ejector rod 131 along the preset direction Z, and enabling the wafer to be stably received and adsorbed, so as to effectively promote the stability and reliability of the carrier mechanism 10.

Please refer to fig. 13 and 17. The lifting member 143 comprises a moving plate 1431 and a lifting plate 1432, the lifting plate 1432 is fixed on one side of the ejector rod 131, which is away from the suction cup, the bearing mechanism 10 further comprises a lifting assembly 15 and a fixing plate 16, the lifting assembly 15 is arranged on one side of the chuck 11, which is away from the bearing surface 111, and can drive the chuck 11 to reciprocate along a preset direction Z, one end of the fixing plate 16 is fixed on the lifting assembly 15, and the moving plate 1431 is slidably connected with the other end of the fixing plate 16 and can move along the preset direction Z relative to the fixing plate 16.

Optionally, the lifting assembly 15 is configured to drive the chuck 11 to perform a lifting motion along a preset direction Z. And the lifting assembly 15 is disposed on a side of the chuck 11 facing away from the bearing surface 111, i.e., the lifting assembly 15 is disposed adjacent to the rear surface 112 of the chuck 11.

Optionally, the lifting member 143 includes a moving plate 1431 and a lifting plate 1432 that are fixedly connected. The lifting plate 1432 is disposed on a side of the ejector rod 131 away from the suction cup, and is used for fixing and carrying the ejector rod 131.

Optionally, the moving plate 1431 is connected with the jacking plate 1432 in a bending manner, the moving plate 1431 is disposed adjacent to the moving assembly 14, and the air cylinder 142 can abut against a side of the moving plate 1431 facing away from the chuck 11 and can push the moving plate 1431 to move along the preset direction Z.

Optionally, the moving plate 1431 is slidably connected to the fixed plate 16 through a guide rail and a slider, that is, a guide rail is disposed on a side of the fixed plate 16 adjacent to the moving plate 1431, a slider is slidably connected to a side of the guide rail adjacent to the moving plate 1431, and a side of the slider facing away from the guide rail is fixedly connected to the moving plate 1431. And the guide rail extends along the preset direction Z.

In this embodiment, the fixing plate 16 is fixedly connected to the lifting assembly 15, and the moving plate 1431 is slidably connected to the fixing plate 16 through a guide rail and a slider, and is capable of moving along the preset direction Z compared to the fixing plate 16. The fixing plate 16, the guide rail and the sliding block can assist the lifting member 143 to move along the preset direction Z, so that the movement process of the lifting member 143 and the ejector rod 131 along the preset direction Z is more stable, and the wafer can be more stably received and adsorbed, thereby further improving the stability and reliability of the bearing mechanism 10.

Please refer to fig. 18 and 19. The application also provides a probe station 1, the probe station 1 comprises a mechanical arm 20 and the bearing mechanism 10, the mechanical arm 20 is used for transporting the wafer to be detected to the bearing mechanism 10, and the detected wafer can be taken away from the bearing mechanism 10.

Optionally, the robot arm 20 is used for transporting wafers, including transporting wafers to be inspected to the carrying mechanism 10, and removing inspected wafers from the carrying mechanism 10.

The probe station 1 includes, but is not limited to, integrated with electrical, optical, and optionally, the probe station 1 includes control/test software, a stage (Chuck) control system, a probe test system, an optical/vision assembly, a shielding assembly, and a shock isolation system. Optionally, the probe station 1 may perform characteristic analysis of I-V, C-V, optical signals, RF, 1/F noise, etc. on a Wafer (Wafer) or other components.

Specifically, in the working process of the probe station 1, pins (pads) of a wafer sample can be measured through a probe or a probe card point, electrical signals are loaded and measured through a connecting test instrument, the electrical signals are controlled, judged and stored at a software end, judgment information is fed back to an ink-jet system, and defective grains (die) on the wafer are marked in a point mode. After the test of one defective grain (die) is finished, the stage (Chuck) mechanical platform is moved to the next grain (die) to be tested through the software control system, and the cyclic test is sequentially carried out.

The probe station 1 may be, but is not limited to, inspecting wafers having dimensions of 12 inches, 8 inches, 6 inches, or other dimensions. Optionally, the probe station 1 may also perform performance test for chips made of various materials such as silicon (Si), gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), and the like.

The probe station 1 may be, but is not limited to, a probe suitable for a wafer, or a Micro-Electro-MECHANICAL SYSTEM, MEMS system, or a biological structure, or an optoelectronic device, or a Light Emitting Diode (LED), or a Liquid crystal display (Liquid CRYSTAL DISPLAY, LCD), or a solar cell.

The probe station 1 may be, but is not limited to, a semi-automated probe station or a fully automated probe station.

In this embodiment, the carrying mechanism 10 levels the warped wafer by the second chuck 132, so that the warped ultrathin wafer can be effectively adsorbed to the carrying surface 111 of the chuck 11, thereby ensuring that the wafer can be effectively contacted with the probes in the probe station 1, and effectively improving the detection accuracy of the probe station 1 on the wafer.

Reference in the specification to "an embodiment," "implementation" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those of skill in the art will explicitly and implicitly appreciate that the described embodiments of the application may be combined with other embodiments. Furthermore, it should be understood that the features, structures or characteristics described in the embodiments of the present application may be combined arbitrarily without any conflict with each other, to form yet another embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Finally, it should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are merely for illustrating the technical solution of the present application and not for limiting the same, and although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications and equivalents may be made to the technical solution of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present application.

Claims

1. A carrier for a warped wafer, the carrier comprising:

2. The carrier of claim 1, wherein when the carrier is used for carrying a wafer to be inspected, the connection end of the ejector rod and the second chuck are exposed on the carrying surface, the second chuck can adsorb the wafer, the ejector rod can drive the second chuck and the wafer to move along the preset direction, the second chuck and the wafer are moved to a position adjacent to the carrying surface, and the first chuck and the second chuck can adsorb the wafer together and adsorb the wafer to attach to the carrying surface.

3. The carrying mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first suction cup includes a plurality of first suction cup portions sequentially arranged along a predetermined direction, the plurality of first suction cup portions are bent and connected to each other, the first suction cup portions are made of a flexible material, and the first suction cup can be contracted along the predetermined direction after the wafer is sucked; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

4. The carrier as recited in claim 3 wherein when the first chuck does not adsorb a wafer, the first chuck protrudes from a carrier surface of the chuck, and a distance D is provided between a side of the first chuck facing away from the carrier surface and the carrier surface, the distance D being as follows: d is more than or equal to 0.2mm and less than or equal to 0.9mm.

5. The carrier mechanism of claim 1, wherein a first air channel, a second air channel and a third air channel which are mutually independent are arranged in the chuck, the first air channel, the second air channel and the third air channel are all used for circulating negative pressure air, the chuck is further provided with a first vacuum groove, a second vacuum groove and a third vacuum groove, the first vacuum groove, the second vacuum groove and the third vacuum groove are exposed to the carrier surface, the first vacuum groove is communicated with the first air channel, the second vacuum groove is communicated with the second air channel, the second vacuum groove is surrounded on the periphery of the first vacuum groove, the third vacuum groove is communicated with the third air channel, the third vacuum groove is surrounded on the periphery of the second vacuum groove, and the first vacuum groove, the second vacuum groove and the third vacuum groove are all used for adsorbing wafers.

6. The carrier of claim 5, wherein the chuck has a first suction zone, a second suction zone, and a third suction zone, the first vacuum channel is disposed in the first suction zone, the second suction cup assembly is disposed in the first suction zone, the second vacuum channel is disposed in the second suction zone, and the plurality of first suction cup portions are disposed in the second suction zone, and the plurality of first suction cup additional portions are disposed in the third suction zone.

7. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the ejector rod has a conduit that communicates with the second suction cup and is capable of communicating negative pressure gas to the second suction cup.

8. The bearing mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a moving assembly, wherein the moving assembly comprises a transmission member, an air cylinder and a lifting member, the transmission member comprises a motor, a transmission rod and a moving member, the motor is used for driving the transmission rod to rotate, the transmission rod extends along a preset direction, the transmission rod can drive the moving member to reciprocate along the preset direction, the air cylinder is fixed to the moving member, the moving member can drive the air cylinder to reciprocate along the preset direction, the air cylinder can be abutted to the lifting member and can drive the lifting member to reciprocate along the preset direction, and the lifting member is fixed to the lifting rod and can drive the lifting rod to reciprocate along the preset direction.

9. The bearing mechanism of claim 8, wherein the lifting member comprises a moving plate and a lifting plate, the lifting plate is fixed on one side of the ejector rod, which is away from the sucker, and the bearing mechanism further comprises a lifting assembly and a fixing plate, the lifting assembly is arranged on one side of the chuck, which is away from the bearing surface, and can drive the chuck to reciprocate along a preset direction, one end of the fixing plate is fixed on the lifting assembly, and the moving plate is connected with the other end of the fixing plate in a sliding manner and can move along the preset direction relative to the fixing plate.

10. A probe station, characterized in that the probe station comprises a mechanical arm and a carrying mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the mechanical arm is used for transporting a wafer to be detected to the carrying mechanism, and the wafer after the detection can be taken away from the carrying mechanism.